Rules for a Star Wars Destiny Salary Cap League

Star Wars Destiny can have a substantial barrier to entry. The cost to field a competitive deck can quickly run up into the hundreds of dollars.

I’ve had much greater success getting friends into my league when strict rules are in place to lessen that barrier and control spending.

Here’s what we have come up!

(prices in CAD)

Getting Started

The players agree on a website that will serve as the definitive card price guide.

All players begin with one starter deck and a budget of $30 to fill out their card pool with singles and field a legal deck.

The players can get their cards from anywhere but the value of each card is always determined by the price guide.

The price of a card only matters at the time it was purchased. (i.e. if you buy a card at $3 and it later rises to $10 it does NOT put you over your salary cap. Conversely, you do not get more cap space if a card drops in value).

We are now ready to begin the first month of play.

Monthly Rules

Players prepay $15 at the beginning of each month.

At the END of the month, booster packs are distributed for the following:

1 booster pack (everyone gets this no matter what)

1 booster pack for playing at least one game

1 booster pack for playing at least 3 games against unique opponents

As long as a player completes three games (win or lose) against unique opponents they are guaranteed to receive 3 booster packs at the end of the month. This provides the motivation for players to complete their games.

Thus, completing three games per month is effectively the minimum level of participation (as no player wants to miss out on their booster packs).

Assuming, each player completes their minimum requirement, the final breakdown of end-of-month rewards is as follows.

Salary allowance is money that a player is permitted to spend (out of their own pocket) on singles.

This somewhat emulates a sports league. Getting a top placement will grant you financial rewards (that can’t be used for your team salary) and the lower placements are rewarded with salary cap space to help them improve their club and promote their upward movement within the rankings.

The contents of each booster pack are witnessed and recorded and added to that player’s allowable card pool.

Playing Games and Determining Placement

We use a chess style Elo rating system to determine a player’s rating.

Every player begins with a rating of 1000. This rating will increase or decrease depending if the player wins or loses. With this system, a low rated player gets more points for defeating a high rated player then that high rated player would get for defeating the low rated player.

This money is added to the players spending allowance which can be spent at anytime or saved. (reminder: this just means the player is permitted to spend this money out of their own pocket to buy singles).

All trades must be approved by the league commissioner to ensure no one tries to abuse this system. For example, you can only get trade incentive rebates the first time you trade a card (you can’t just trade a card back and forth 10x to build up salary allowance)

Cash Out Program

Players are permitted to cash out cards from their pool at any time. A player will get half the cards value (determined by price guide) in salary allowance.

Once the card is removed, it can no longer be used in the league.

Onboarding New Members

We haven’t fully defined rules for this yet, but if a player wants to join 6 months in then we would probably do something like tallying up the value of each card pool and give the new player an initial budget somewhere in the average range.

Wrapping Up

That’s basically it! It’s working very well! You can see from the game log (on our spreadsheet) how many games have already been played in May.

Rogue One was a thoroughly entertaining film that introduced a heap of fantastic new characters into our beloved Star Wars universe.

I was thrilled to learn that Baze Malbus and Chirrut Imwe were getting their own book written by Greg Rucka. My body craved more information on this dynamic duo.

The title of the book “Guardians of the Whills” piqued my interest further. Who were this mysterious religious order? More importantly, who were these ancient force beings known as the “Whills” that long predate the Jedi?

The book doesn’t really answer a lot of those questions but it’s still an enjoyable (albeit very quick) read.

Greg Rucka really nailed the dialogue between the two main characters in a way that seemed very natural and believable.

I enjoyed how the book highlights the differences (and parallels) in ideology between rebels and extremists.

The book is categorized at the young adult reading level and it’s short so you can bang it off in just a few hours of reading.

The tale was straightforward and focused on a rescue mission. It was nice to get some background on the motivations of these two characters and also any little bits of new information (such as the origins of Baze’s cool gun).

Rogue One: Catalyst is still my favourite Rogue One book but Guardians of the Whills now slides in at number two.

p.s. We still don't know if Baze and Chirrut are a "couple" though the book does indicate that they live together ;)

Who makes it?

How many players?

Star Wars: Destiny is primarily designed as a competitive game for 2 players. However, you can also play multiplayer.

When was it released?

November 2016.

How did I miss it?

Demand has far outstripped supply and the cards have been almost universally sold-out since release.

How many sets have been released so far?

So far just one set called “Awakenings” which contains 174 cards. "Awakenings" is considered a "Core" set.

When does the next set come out?

Very soon. The next set is called "Spirit of Rebellion" which will bring 160 brand new cards. It should be released sometime in May though the actual date has not been officially confirmed.

There is a pre-release being hosted by local game stores this weekend (April 1st, 2017) where players will get early access to the cards by participating in a tournament.

Spirt of Rebellion is considered an "Expansion" set.

What's the difference between a Core set and an Expansion set?

In general, Core sets are designed as an entry point for new players. They will often contain cards that feature easier interactions.

Both Core and Expansion sets are sold in "Booster packs" which are small packs of 5 random cards of varying rarity.

To accompany the release of a Core set, Fantasy Flight Games will also release, pre-made, fixed-list "Starter decks" that players can purchase to get started right away.

Expansion sets will often have slightly less cards than Core sets.

Cards from both Core sets and Expansion sets can be mixed together to create your deck.

Any word on future sets?

Yes, Fantasy Flight Games plans to release a Core set (with new Starter decks) around the beginning of each year that will be followed by two Expansion sets later in the year.

A total of 3 sets will be released each year. One Core set and two Expansion sets.

How do players get the cards?

Players can acquire cards by purchasing “Starter decks” or “Booster packs” from their local gaming shop. Some shops (such as us) will also sell cards individually for purchase as "singles".

Are the cards sold at big box stores like Walmart or Target?

No. You can only get them at specialty shops (for now).

What are the Starter decks?

There are two Starter decks currently available. Kylo Ren Starter Deck and Rey Starter Deck.

Both decks feature a fixed list of 23 cards. They also come with nine premium dice and tokens that you will need to play the game.

In addition, they feature some exclusive cards that cannot be acquired in booster packs.

Is the Starter deck enough to start playing?

The Starter decks can be played against each other. However they do not have enough cards to form a legal deck.

Do I have to start with a Starter deck?

No. You can build your deck completely from singles. However, the Starter deck contains cardboard tokens that are used to track damage, resources and shields so you would need to make or find your own substitute tokens.

What comes in a booster pack?

A booster pack contains 5 random cards and one premium die.

A pack will contain 3 Common cards, 1 Uncommon and one Rare or Legendary card.

The Rare or Legendary card will always have it’s own die which is included in the pack.

What are the odds of getting a Legendary card?

There is a 1 in 6 chance of getting a Legendary card that will replace the Rare card in the pack.

What constitutes a legal deck?

A legal deck must contain exactly 30 cards.

Your deck will also contain 1-4 characters cards and 1 battlefield card that remain face-up during the game and are not counted in your 30 card limit.

You can have no more than 2 copies of a card in your deck.

How many characters can I have on my team?

You get 30 points to spend on your characters and each character has a point cost associated with adding them to your team.

Some characters have a different cost if you want to use them with one or two dice. For example, Rey can be played with two dice at a cost of 12 points or with one dice at a cost of 9.

Most decks will run 2 or 3 characters. However, there are special cases such as the upcoming Emperor card that will cost 28 points (with 2 dice). Also, some people are experimenting with four First Order Stormtroopers that cost 7 points each for a total of 28 points.

Can I mix Heroes and Villains in my deck?

No, you must choose a side.

All cards in the game are designated as “Hero”, “Villain” or “Neutral”.

If you are playing a Villain deck, you may only build it using Villain or Neutral cards. Hero decks can only be played using Hero or Neutral cards.

So what do I do with the cards I can’t use?

Collect them, make a second deck or trade them!

High-level, how does a game play out?

You will build a deck around the characters you have chosen. Your character cards remain face up for the entire game and you will roll their associated dice in order to damage and eventually defeat your opponent’s characters.

Throughout the game, you will augment your characters by equipping them with upgrades from your deck that may give them extra dice or abilities.

You’ll also play other card types (such as event cards, support cards and vehicle cards) to help you achieve victory.

How long does a game take?

When you’re first starting out it can take around an hour. But once you have more experience the average game will take around 30-45 minutes.

Where can I play?

Many local game stores are running tournaments and/or leagues so give them a call and find out!

I participate in a league with friends and we play at each others homes.

Can I play online?

Yes, the game is quite active through Tabletop Simulator which is available on Steam for $20 CAD. As you’ll have access to all the cards, it is great for testing our new deck ideas!

Is the game addicting?

Yes. Fantasy Flight Games has a real winner on their hands here.

Is the game more skill-based or random?

It’s a healthy combination of skill and luck. The game features dice so you will often be at their mercy, however there are plenty of avenues for skill-based players to mitigate the randomness and gain an edge.

Is the game hard to learn?

The game is very accessible and easy to pick-up. The complete rules fit on two pages and can be read here:

Is the game balanced?

Surprisingly yes! Fantasy Flight Games has done an excellent job on the balancing. There are certainly decks you can build that are stronger than others but there is a lot of variation in the decks that are currently winning competitive tournaments.

Wasn’t there another Star Wars CCG before?

Yes, you have a good memory. There was one back in the 90s but I don’t know too much about that. This game is not related :)

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I hope that gives you some background on this amazing new game and I urge you to start playing immediately!

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm (aka Star Wars) in 2012 they made the decision to reset the Extended Universe.

This controversial action caused the extra content from hundreds of novels, comics and videogames to cry out in terror and suddenly be silenced.

Less dramatically, they were rebranded under the “Legends” designation which means they may or may not be true within the Star Wars universe.

I think it was smart as it permitted Disney screenwriters the freedom to write new scripts without carrying the baggage from thousands of intertwining storylines. It also helps make the franchise more accessible to newcomers.

Any new stories (post-2012) are now considered to be official canon. So far there are around 10 published novels and a whole whack of new comic book series (which I have been keeping up with via Marvel Unlimited).

I’ve read a few of the new books so far

Aftermath by Chuck Wendig

Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig

Tarkin by James Luceno

To be honest, I didn't really think any of them were very good... but I’ve been so excited for the release of Rogue One I thought I would give James Luceno another try with his Rogue One prequel novel “Catalyst”.

I’m very happy I did because it was the best Star Wars book I’ve read to date (including the few other “Legends” books I have read).

James Luceno does a great job developing the backstory, the characters and their complicated relationships with a focus on Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelson in Rogue One) and Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelson).

The dialogue is sharp and believable which could be difficult for less talented writers due to the genius-level intellect of the characters.

The story also provides great insight and important background on the early construction phase of the Death Star and the interesting period of Star Wars galactic history where the Republic transitions to the Empire.

Don’t expect a ton of action as the book is more of a relationship-study and explores the manipulative machinations of Orson Krennic in his effort to ascend within the new Empire.

I can’t quite tell how accessible the story would be to Star Wars newcomers but my gut tells me it could be a little difficult and is probably best suited for hardcore Star Wars fans. There is a fair bit of Star Wars terminology etc. that could make it difficult reading for newbies.

Rogue One: Catalyst is a great novel even if Star Wars was removed from the equation which I don’t think can be said for a lot of other Star Wars books. Kindle says average read time is 6.4 hours so you still have time to catch up before December 15th :).

Am I the last one to see this? Apparently it made the rounds about 3 years ago.. but wow, is this impressive. Barry from Facebook converted his entire living room into one of the most detailed Hoth dioramas.. of ALL TIME!

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Am I the last one to see this? Apparently it made the rounds about 3 years ago.. but wow, is this impressive. Barry from Facebook converted his entire living room into one of the most detailed Hoth dioramas.. of ALL TIME!

MF: I spent 2 years trying to track down a complete Falcon to add to my collection. In that time I was chirped endlessly by my friends for having an incomplete Star Wars collection, because honestly, what Star Wars collection does not have a Falcon? In my opinion, this is by far the best Falcon ever made and easily dwarfs everything else in my collection due to its size.

EK: Collecting the bad guys was what got me into collecting Star Wars toys, whether they be Vader, stormtroopers, ot the bounty hunters. Overtime this grew to collecting all the Sith figures produced. This eventually led me to the most expensive modern sith figure, Exar Kun. And what a cool figure: detailed face markings, pauldrons, soft goods cape, and a double-bladed blue lightsaber! After finally tracking this figure down, my Sith collection was complete... until new Sith figures came out of course

Rank the movies: ESB > TFA > ANH > RotJ = RotS > AotC > TPM

Items you still want:Jawa with KPR Security Droid (The Legacy Collection), since it has the only droid I am missing from the Jawa sale lineup!

Ok, I think that's the last of the boxes! I'm not posting pics of all the remaining items in these boxes but I'll have everything up on the site soon. Hope you enjoyed opening these with me. It's been a ride!

100 Power of the Force loosies! Ok, it may not be the most exciting series that Hasbro has done but there is still a lot of very cool figures in here. All of them are mint, unplayed condition. Meticulously labeled with all accessories.